In the 1780's after the American Revolution, America's economy had a great downfall. Americans were heavily impacted by the revolution because it left them in debt. During the war British Navies destroyed many of the American ships which once the war was finished it slowed down the flow of trade. Since Americans were unable to travel to trade they had to buy everything that they needed within their own country and and had to purchase at a fluctuated cost. The British troops on land were continuously stealing from local markets, and farms which left farmers in debt. The high level of debt taken on by the states to fund the war effort added to the economic crisis by helping fuel rapid inflation. [1] In order to try and get themselves out of debt the new independent state had to make some decisions to help flourish their new country. They decided to implement taxes which hurt the average American's income, and caused many problems. During this time there were two men by the names of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson that had ideas on how to revive and successfully run the new independent country but they had two vastly different approaches.
Alexander Hamilton was the leader of the Federalist Party. He believed that people with wealth should have the power to rule, and people without money or an upstanding degree of education should not be able to make decisions when it came to the government. He implemented many unfair taxes that benefited the wealthy but not the common man. He used taxes to run the government and get America out of debt but most of the taxes created were unnecessary and unjust. One tax that he created was the tax on whiskey which caused a major clash known as the Whiskey Rebellion. The Whiskey Rebellion was caused by the tax implemented on small farm owners for the transportation of whiskey to a larger business. The wealthy people that owned the large businesses were not being taxed for anything but gained all the profits from the consumer. Many of Hamilton's ways of thinking and ideals were unfair and monarch like. He created a five point economical reformation program that he believed would be the key to getting America out of debt but it caused more problems in the long run. He kept tweaking the Constitution he helped write in order to pass his ideas through government which made it appear that he was treating the new system like a monarchy. [2] He did not have the common man's best interest at heart the way Thomas Jefferson did.
Thomas Jefferson was the co-founder of the Republican-Democratic party. He believed in a strong state and local government. He was a strong believer in the common man being able to participate in government and he also drafted the Declaration of Independence. There is a timeless quality in the philosophical section of the Declaration, which proclaims that all men are equal in rights, regardless of birth, wealth, or status, and that government is the servant, not the master, of human beings.[3] When writing the Declaration of Independence he put limitations on the governments rule so that it never interfered with the rights that every individual was entitled. His decisions were those that were beneficial to all people rather than the ideals of Hamilton who just had the wealthy in interest. Jefferson promoted individual liberty, rights, and freedoms. He was appointed as the Secretary of State but later became president because of his popular and favorable ideals. One of the most significant achievements of Jefferson’s first administration was the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million in 1803. [4]This doubled the land of America and was beneficial to the road of recovery for a flourishing economy. Although Alexander Hamilton's five step economical programs strengthen the central government, Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic Party ideals were increasingly beneficial to the United States in the early 1800's.
Notes
1."Alexander Hamilton."History. http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/alexander-hamilton(accessed March 10,2014).
2. Ibid.
3. "Thomas Jefferson." TheAmericanRevolution. http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/peopledetail.aspx?people=3(accessed March 10,2014).
4. "The Louisiana Purchase." The Jefferson Monticello. http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/louisiana-purchase(accessed March 11, 2014).
Alexander Hamilton was the leader of the Federalist Party. He believed that people with wealth should have the power to rule, and people without money or an upstanding degree of education should not be able to make decisions when it came to the government. He implemented many unfair taxes that benefited the wealthy but not the common man. He used taxes to run the government and get America out of debt but most of the taxes created were unnecessary and unjust. One tax that he created was the tax on whiskey which caused a major clash known as the Whiskey Rebellion. The Whiskey Rebellion was caused by the tax implemented on small farm owners for the transportation of whiskey to a larger business. The wealthy people that owned the large businesses were not being taxed for anything but gained all the profits from the consumer. Many of Hamilton's ways of thinking and ideals were unfair and monarch like. He created a five point economical reformation program that he believed would be the key to getting America out of debt but it caused more problems in the long run. He kept tweaking the Constitution he helped write in order to pass his ideas through government which made it appear that he was treating the new system like a monarchy. [2] He did not have the common man's best interest at heart the way Thomas Jefferson did.
Thomas Jefferson was the co-founder of the Republican-Democratic party. He believed in a strong state and local government. He was a strong believer in the common man being able to participate in government and he also drafted the Declaration of Independence. There is a timeless quality in the philosophical section of the Declaration, which proclaims that all men are equal in rights, regardless of birth, wealth, or status, and that government is the servant, not the master, of human beings.[3] When writing the Declaration of Independence he put limitations on the governments rule so that it never interfered with the rights that every individual was entitled. His decisions were those that were beneficial to all people rather than the ideals of Hamilton who just had the wealthy in interest. Jefferson promoted individual liberty, rights, and freedoms. He was appointed as the Secretary of State but later became president because of his popular and favorable ideals. One of the most significant achievements of Jefferson’s first administration was the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million in 1803. [4]This doubled the land of America and was beneficial to the road of recovery for a flourishing economy. Although Alexander Hamilton's five step economical programs strengthen the central government, Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic Party ideals were increasingly beneficial to the United States in the early 1800's.
Notes
1."Alexander Hamilton."History. http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/alexander-hamilton(accessed March 10,2014).
2. Ibid.
3. "Thomas Jefferson." TheAmericanRevolution. http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/peopledetail.aspx?people=3(accessed March 10,2014).
4. "The Louisiana Purchase." The Jefferson Monticello. http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/louisiana-purchase(accessed March 11, 2014).